Posts tagged "industrial relations"

Small businesses can now access an easy-to-read timeline of upcoming industrial relations reforms, as Fair Work Ombudsman Anna Booth urges entrepreneurs to acquaint themselves with significant changes to employment rules.

The Fair Work Commission is not asking whether award workers should have the blanket right to work from home, and lawmakers are not currently seeking that right, claims Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke.

Australian workplaces and employees are only a few steps away from a legal "right to disconnect", allowing workers to mute their phones and shut off their laptops outside of working hours.

They may have partnered with the federal government on December's surprise industrial relations reforms, but a fresh report shows crossbench Senators Jacqui Lambie and David Pocock have significant concerns over the second half of Labor's Closing Loopholes package.

Australia's most prominent small business lobby has chastised Senate crossbenchers over a last-minute deal that saw "radical" industrial relations reforms pass into law this month.

The reaction of business groups and the Coalition to the government securing passage of its same job, same pay bill on Thursday — legislation that will prevent employers from outsourcing jobs to labour-hire firms that pay contracted workers less than award rates — was apoplectic, writes Bernard Keane.

Small business advocates say the latest industrial relations reforms are "damaging", after a last-minute deal between Labor and key Senate crossbenchers saw significant changes legislated on the last sitting day of the year.

Former CEO of COSBOA Peter Strong says the Australian workplace relations system is the most complex in the world, and it may be very difficult for small businesses to 'look at the detail'.

It is alarming the Albanese government has rammed the Closing Loopholes Bill through the Lower House despite being roundly rejected as flawed and unworkable by small businesses, says COSBOA.

The Albanese government has scrapped its plan to impose civil penalties for breaching some casual work rules, and offered assurances that 'employee-like' gig workers will not count as full employees, in a fresh round of amendments to its IR Bill.

Employers have barely two weeks to prepare for the sunsetting of 'zombie' workplace agreements on December 7, the Fair Work Commission says, in a last-minute warning to workplaces still using agreements struck before 2010.

In an exclusive discussion with SmartCompany, the Small Business Minister backed Labor's achievements for SMEs 18 months since the election.